mortgage loan modification?

My questions are related to modifying mortgage loans and also the National Debt Relief Program” offered by many companies. I am a 60 year old retired police officer. I live in a rural area where my wife and I moved when I retired 8 years ago. Since then, I worked for a construction company but was laid off last year when the economy tanked. Over the last few years we have accumulated over $20k in credit card . With the help of unemployment insurance benefits, we have thus far been met our obligations but UI benefits may end within the next few months. Question #1:

Is it advisable to approach your lender directly to negotiate to modify a mortgage loan or to utilize a mortgage loan specialist? We have received ads from companies offering to negotiate modifications to mortgage loans (we have owned our home for 10 years and refinanced in the last year to reduce our interest rate)

Question #2:

Is there legitimacy to the “National Debt Relief Program,” supposedly brought about by the Obama Administration? If so, how can we safely choose a company to work with?

Thank you very much for your help.